Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said Monday evening at a closed activists’ conference that he does not regret his decision to form a government with Mansour Abbas and the Ra’am party.
“I regret that I caused pain to people, but I stand behind my considerations. I stand behind the decision. At the time, we went to elections and I truly did not know Mansour Abbas; like all the parties, I said I would not sit with them," Bennett said.
However, he stressed that “since October 7, there is no mandate in the State of Israel to form a government based on Arab parties. We will establish a unity government under my leadership, a Zionist government based on an alliance of those who serve, and that is what will happen. We are going to win and we are going to form it."
Outside the hall, several Likud activists demonstrated, and Bennett lashed out at them, saying he had proposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold a debate with him.
“Instead of doing a debate, which he is afraid to do, he sends activists to disrupt. Be a man, face me, don’t send activists. Whenever you want-name a place, name a time-I am ready to face Bibi on any issue. But not through paid activists; that’s not being a man," Bennett said.